Pets provide a great deal of joy and companionship to persons of all ages, including the elderly and infirm. No matter what the age, it has always been a challenge to dispose of pet fecal matter.
Many types of devices have been developed to facilitate pickup, removal, as well as disposal of fecal matter. Many of these devices are hand-held and require a user to have to bend down close to the ground to pickup or otherwise scoop up the fecal matter using the device. Unfortunately, for the elderly, the infirm and those with back problems, hand-held fecal matter pickup devices are a less than desirable solution.
In response, other types of devices have been developed that permit a user to scoop up fecal matter without having to bend over. Commonly referred to as long-handled fecal matter scoopers, these types of devices are typically equipped with a manipulable handle attached by an elongate extension to a pair of movable scoop jaws. Examples of such long-handled fecal matter scoopers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,248,468 and 5,601,321.
While long-handled fecal matter scoopers have enjoyed considerable commercial success, improvements nonetheless remain. For example, their scoop jaws are automatically held closed by one or more springs such that storage after use inconveniently requires them to be propped up in a corner, which can result in them falling down, or be laid on the ground or floor. As a result, it can be very difficult for the elderly, the infirm and those with back problems to have to repeatedly bend down and pick up a fecal matter scooper that is laying on the ground or floor.
In addition, for those with indoor pets, such as cats and the like, long-handled fecal matter scoopers are ill suited for use in removing fecal matter from litter boxes. In particular, because these types of fecal matter scoopers employ imperforate scoop jaws, scooping up fecal matter and litter that has clumped from absorbing urine from a litter box inevitably also causes unused litter to be scooped up which undesirably results in a loss of good litter. As a result of these drawbacks, adoption of such long-handled fecal matter scoopers has not been widespread by people who have indoor pets.
What is needed is a long-handled fecal matter scooper that can be more conveniently stored in a manner that makes it easier to access for the elderly, the infirm and for those with back problems. What is also needed is a long-handled fecal matter scooper that can be used to remove fecal matter indoors from litter boxes.